RIO DE JANEIRO (August 13) – London 2012 gold medalist Hamid SORYAN (IRI) looks at a possible showdown with silver medalist Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) in the 59kg semifinals Sunday, as Greco-Roman wrestling gets under way at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Soryan, seeking his eighth world-level title, opens in the preliminary round at Carioca Arena 2 with Shinobu OTA (JPN), who stunned Soryan with a 7-4 first-round loss at the Asian qualifier in Astana.

Bayramov, who has taken silver medals at Beijing 2008 and in London, defeated Soryan in their last meeting by disqualification in the Las Vegas quarterfinals.

In the upper half of the bracket, world champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) will likely have to navigate through a tough group from Asia, beginning with bronze medal finalist in Las Vegas Arsen ERALIEV (KGZ), and WANG Lumin (CHN), winner of the Asian qualifying tourney.

In the semifinals, Molina could face the winner of a quarterfinal match-up between 2013 world champion YUN Won-Chol (PRK) and two-time world bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB).

Greco-Roman 59kg (19 entries)

Preliminary Round
Pr1 – Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) v LEE Jung-Baik (KOR)
Pr2 – Shinobu OTA (JPN) v Hamid SORYAN (IRI)
Pr3 – Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) v Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS)

Round of 16
Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) v Arsen ERALIEV (KGZ)
Andres MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) v WANG Lumin (CHN)
YUN Won-Chol (PRK) v Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)
Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) v Kristijan FRIS (SRB)

Rovshan BAYRAMOV (AZE) v Raiber RODRIGUEZ OROZCO (VEN)
Mehdi MESSAOUDI (MAR) v Jesse THIELKE (USA)
Soslan DAUROV (BLR) v Winner Pr1
Winner Pr2 v Winner Pr3

75kg:

London 2012 gold medalists Roman VLASOV (RUS) and KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) renew their rivalry Sunday, the opening day of the wrestling competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Reigning world champ Vlasov and Kim met for the 2013 world title after both wrestlers won gold medals in London at 74kg and 66kg. Kim prevailed in that welterweight match-up, 2-1, Budapest.

Vlasov, however, reclaimed the world crown at the 2015 world meet in Las Vegas while Kim slumped to No.10.

Also sharing the top half of the bracket after Andrew BISEK (USA), a two-time world bronze medalist who stunned Vlasov in the 2014 world meet, and three-time world champion Selcuk CEBI (TUR), who took the 80kg crown in Las Vegas.

No.2 seed Mark MADSEN (DEN) squares off with former world champion at 66kg Saeid Mourad ABDVALI (IRI) at the top of the lower half of the bracket.

In the preliminary round matches,2014 world champions Arsen JUFALAKYAN (ARM, 75kg) and Peter BACSI (HUN, 80kg) are staring at a possible meeting in the round of 16.

At the bottom of the bracket, world bronze medalist Doszhan KARTIKOV (KAZ), who upset Kim in Las Vegas, squares off with European champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO).

Greco-Roman 75kg (20 entries)

Preliminary Round
Pr1 – Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) v Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM)
Pr2 – Carlos MUNOZ JARAMILLO (COL) v Peter BACSI (HUN)
Pr3 – Elvin MURSALIEV (AZE) v Mahmoud SEBIE (EGY)
Pr4 – Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) v Doszhan KARTIKOV (KAZ)

Round of 16
Roman VLASOV (RUS) v KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR)
YANG Bin (CHN) v Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR)
Andrew BISEK (USA) v Yurisandy HERNANDEZ (CUB)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) v Selcuk CEBI (TUR)

Mark MADSEN (DEN) v Saeid Mourad ABDVALI (IRI)
Dilshodjon TURDIEV (UZB) v Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Winner Pr1 v Winner Pr2
Winner Pr3 v Winner Pr3